Careful What You Wish For
by iclaimeditforhell
Summary: A different take on 10X11, because personally I was a little disappointed. The episode had elements for a great nostalgic and tragic storyline for Jamie. So, I've re-written the episode. You might recognise a few scenes or at least notice some similarities, but I've put my own spin on events.


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**Disclaimer: I do not own Blue Bloods or any of the characters. All rights belong to CBS. I am but a lowly fan, writing a few stories, inspired by the show and its characters.**

**Feedback is always appreciated. I'm not an expert in any sense of the word so if I've got certain things wrong i.e. police procedures, language, grammar and such. Please forgive me. Let me know where I've gone wrong and I'll do my best to change it.**

**Author's Note: Throughout this story and most likely any future stories, you will see - / - in between text. This is my way of showing a change in location or time.**

**/**

The gun shots continue to ring out. One after another. Sergeant Reagan pulls a large dumpster in front of him. It acts as a shield. A bit of protection for him and the two EMTs behind him.

It all happened so fast. Jamie reacted as quick as he could, but one of the EMTs definitely went down. The uninjured sergeant calls in a 10-13. This place will be swarming with cops soon enough. For now, he must focus on those in immediate danger.

"Wayne, stick with me. Mary's waiting for you, the kids are waiting for you, you've gotta get home okay? They're waiting for you" the female EMT cries out, as she desperately tries to keep her partner alive.

Blood coats Wayne's neck. It immediately captures Jamie's attention. The longer he stares, the more the man's face seemingly moulds into one he recognises, from long ago. A memory he'd rather forget.

Katrina's continuous emotional pleas, for her partner to stay with her, gains Jamie's attention. It pulls at his heartstrings – painfully. The cries only serve as a bitter reminder to the experienced cop. Jamie glances up at her. Eyes as determined as his were all those years ago. Watching her makes the sergeant empathetic in every sense of the word. It all comes back to him. The gun shots. The shock. The blood. Blood. Jamie's eyes widen.

"Katrina you're hit" he points out with concern.

The EMT ignore him "Wayne, stick with me"

Observing the scene proves to be too much for the Reagan. Jamie turns his head. A part of him wants to. Another part of him, the cop part of him, knows he has to. Even if he didn't want to turn away, he's aware there's still a potential shooter out there. It's his job to protect Katrina and Wayne until back-up arrives.

It takes under a minute for the closest patrols to arrive. The response to a 10-13 is quick. Cops from the 29th arrive in their masses. For their sergeant, they were some of the longest seconds of his life. It was excruciating. All he could hear was Katrina tirelessly trying to revive her partner.

A futile effort. Years of experience mixed with a strong gut feeling told the sergeant the EMT was already gone. It's part of the reason why he refused to turn around. Even when back-up arrived, he chose to focus on securing the scene.

It's not as if Jamie hasn't seen a dead body before. If truth be known he's seen too many for his liking. Wayne is, in that respect, just another on the list. It's the thought, no, the fear, of staring into the man's cold dead eyes and seeing someone else staring back at him that prevented him from looking.

"Sarg?"

Jamie snaps out of his trance "What is it?"

"The scene has been secured. There's no sign of the shooter" one of his cops tells him "And uh, the EMT didn't make it. He was DOA"

"Thank you. That'll be all" the sergeant replies, staring down at the blood stained floor.

/

"Jamie" Detective Reagan calls out upon spotting his kid brother "Hey"

"Hey" Jamie greets, turning to see Danny and his partner, Baez, approaching.

"You okay boss?" Danny comes to stand in front of his brother.

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine. What are you guys doing here?" the younger Reagan glances between the two detectives for an answer.

"We caught an EMT homicide recently ourselves" his big brother replies, eyes remaining fixated on him.

"You think there's a connection?" Jamie queries, once again looking between the pair.

Danny picks up on this right away. It's a little trait only people close to Jamie have been able to pick up on. Danny's kid brother tends to avoid holding his gaze on one person for too long when he's feeling emotional. Those eyes reveal more than he'd like. Jamie knows this. It's why he's developed this discreet habit. Although, obviously not discreet enough for his brother.

"Same MO. There's been a pattern of ambulances getting baited and hit recently" Baez points out, noticing the cogs turning in her partner's mind.

"What for?" Jamie asks her.

"Narcotics" she confirms.

Jamie gives a small sigh "It's an elaborate way to score drugs"

"Well they're not using 'em. They're selling 'em" Danny adds, studying his brother for any kind of hint as to how he's coping with this shooting "There's a lot of money in the back of them buses"

"Well I got a good look at the guy who was playing dead" the sergeant sets off walking, keen to avoid his big brother's worried gaze.

"We can sit down with a sketch artist when you're ready" Baez says, almost as softly as she would to any victim of a crime, that she finds herself interviewing.

"Okay, I'm ready" Jamie replies, a little too quick for either of the detectives' liking.

"You're ready? You sure?" Danny probes, his true concern revealed in his tone.

Jamie takes a sideways look at the detective he shares a last name with, as they duck under the crime scene tape. Typical. Worry lines. They've already formed on Danny's face. One of these days, if he's not careful, they're going to become a permanent fixture!

"Yeah, look I didn't know Wayne well, but I've seen him save more than one life so whoever did this, I wanna get 'em" Jamie tells them with fierce determination.

"Woah, woah, woah" Danny puts his hand on the younger Reagan's arm "Look, we appreciate your help okay, but we got it from here"

"Look yeah I know the lay of the land so" Jamie tries to argue, but he can already see his brother has an argument lined up.

"You could've fooled me. You just almost got yourself shot, so why don't you just fall back?" the detective responds, trying, but failing to stop his overprotectiveness from coming out in his words.

Jamie turns with a hurt look in his eyes to his brother "Well it wouldn't be the first time, Danny"

The young Reagan storms off. The detectives watch him head back into the Bitterman Houses. Danny turns to his partner in confusion. Instead of a shared look of utter disbelief he catches her stern gaze.

"What?" Danny questions defensively "What did I say?"

Baez rolls her eyes "I don't know, he's your kid brother Danny, but I think you better go apologise to him before we leave"

"I don't know if that's such a good idea. It might be better to let him cool off first" her partner places his hands on his hips.

"Jamie almost got shot today. I think a little love and support from his big brother wouldn't go amiss, don't you?" Danny gives her a questioning look "I had a kid brother too y'know"

Danny sighs with defeat. There is, however, a strong sense of understanding in his eyes. It takes a lot of inner strength for his partner to mention her own kid brother. Baez's pain serves as a constant reminder of how lucky he is to still have a little brother to worry about.

/

Detective Reagan rounds another corner. The search for his baby brother finally yielding some results. Stood near the entrance to a courtyard is the one he's been looking for.

Worry grows the closer Danny gets. Jamie remains fixated on a certain spot. Seemingly lost in another place or time. The detective looks at the wall Jamie is so engrossed by. It's just a wall. At least to Danny it is. There's nothing out of the ordinary about it.

Danny stops beside his little brother "You okay kid?"

Jamie doesn't respond. Not even a flash of recognition. This freaks Danny out slightly. There's got to be something he's missing here.

Danny takes another look around. For some unknown reason, to him anyway, this place has an eerie familiarity to it. As a homicide detective he's definitely been here before. This place was once notorious for gang violence.

The elder Reagan's face pales. The dots link up. The connection cemented in his mind. The Bitterman Houses. The Los Lordes Gang. The murder of a cop. Well, not just any cop…

"Oh God, Jamie is this where…" Danny finds himself trailing off when Jamie turns harshly towards him.

The infamously loudmouth detective seemingly lost for words. A rare occurrence. Trust his baby brother to be the one to make him speechless! For the first time today, Jamie has allowed his brother to see the emotions pooling in his eyes.

"I'm fine Danny" comes the blunt reply of his clearly not so fine little brother.

/

Eddie opens the door to her apartment. The first sight to greet her is that of her husband sat at their dining room table. A far off look in his eyes. It's an unusual sight even for the newlywed.

"Jamie?" she questions tenderly, walking over to him.

"Hey Ed" comes a weak reply.

Eddie furrows her eyebrows and sits down facing him "Hey, are you okay? I heard you called in sick today"

"I'm not really sick" her husband glances up at her.

The sight of the love of her life looking so upset almost reduces her to tears. Almost. There's no chance Eddie is going to break down and cry. Certainly not when it looks as though her husband might do that at any moment.

Eddie swallows the lump forming in her throat "Jamie, what's wrong? Is this about what happened the other day?"

"I can't get it out of my head. I can't get _him_ out of my head" Jamie confides, verging on guiltily, to her.

Eddie takes his hand and wraps her own two hands around his "Look, I know we talked about this the other day and I know what happened with Vinny all those years ago still affects you. I was your partner for five years so I should know"

"What's that supposed to mean?" her former work partner questions defensively.

She sighs softly "Jamie, you've always been a little overprotective- "

"-That's because I love you, not because of _Vinny_!" Jamie snaps, anger spewing out a name he had tried to bury deep inside his subconscious.

"A part of it is to do with Vinny. I've seen what you're like with other partners and as a sergeant, remember? You have that protective nature with them too" Eddie points out as gently as she can.

The couple stare at one another. Eddie remains calm. The same usual loving fondness in her eyes. A look reserved just for Jamie. It's her tranquil composure that allows her husband to settle down. Logic kicks in and kicks the bad thoughts out. Eddie knew logic would win eventually.

Jamie exhales deeply with acceptance "Okay, so what do I do about it?"

/

Baez sits at her desk. A fresh cup of coffee by her side. No, it's not the greatest tasting coffee in the world, but it keeps her going. The detective lifts the cup up to her lips. The hot contents practically screaming at her to be drank.

"Baez, grab your coat, let's go" she hears her partner announce, upon his arrival to his own desk.

Baez merely lowers her cup back down "Why?"

"We're gonna go talk to Captain Higgins again" her pain in the ass (sometimes... okay, most of the time) partner informs her.

"And why are we doing that? He already complied with our subpoena" she gestures to the boxes of files currently occupying most of their desk space "Besides, I thought we already established he didn't do it"

"Higgins didn't do it, but he's the boss of the one who did" Danny points out with an arrogant yet somehow endearing smile.

"Okay now I'm intrigued" Baez says as she stands up and grabs her coat.

/

44 degrees. It's not ridiculously cold, but certainly not warm either. Jamie, taking his supportive wife's advice, shoves his hand deeper in his pockets. The sergeant stands alone in the evening light. Eyes fixated on one particular spot. A place that has been a part of his nightmares for many years.

The place where Vinny died.

Here he is yet again. Twice in one week. The last time Jamie was here, before these two times, was during the large scale police raid of the Bitterman Houses. Members of the gang responsible for Vinny's death were brought to justice. Los Lordes' reign of terror was finally ended.

A pain filled memory resurfaces. It's from that day. Reluctantly, but for the sake of mental recovery, he allows the memory to play out. A rush of emotions hit him. Some good. Mostly bad. An aching sensation starts in his chest. Jamie brings his hand up to the source of the ache. It's where the bullet hit his vest, leaving him with a nasty bruise that lasted weeks, and a dead partner in his arms. The loss of his partner lasting much longer than the bruise.

Jamie feels the emotions building. The aching in his chest worsens. It becomes harder and harder to breathe.

Jamie gasps, somewhere from deep down inside of him, the words surface "_It's okay Reagan_"

A huge exhale follows. The air his lungs had been begging for returns on an inhale. A wave of catharsis washes over him. _It's okay Reagan_. It's what Vinny told him with his dying breaths. _It's okay Reagan_.

The youngest of Frank Reagan's children walks through the housing project with a newfound calmness_. It's okay Reagan_. A thought that won't leave his mind. A good thought now though. It's given Jamie the release he needs to put all of those bad memories away again.

As Jamie reaches the location of the most recent shooting, he notices a figure in uniform, stood on the very spot Wayne died.

Jamie gets closer and spots a familiar face "Katrina?"

The EMT turns in surprise "Sergeant Reagan?"

"I'm off the clock so it's just Jamie" he tells her with a smile.

Katrina smiles back weakly "So, Jamie, what are you doing here?"

"I imagine I'm here for a similar reason to you" Jamie responds, figuring just like him, she's come to pay respects to her late partner.

"I don't think so" Katrina let's out a low chuckle.

Jamie furrows his eyebrows, unsure of what to make of her response "Oh, why are you here then?"

"I came to the neighbourhood on a call out" she gestures to the ambulance parked not too far away "Turns out it was just a false alarm"

"Where's your partner?" Jamie probes, concern mounting.

"I don't have one" Katrina catches his look of concern "At least not anymore"

"Katrina, you have to have a partner if you're back on active duty. You do have a new partner, right?" Jamie reiterates, taking a step closer to her.

The EMT glances back at the ambulance "Yeah, I do. I'm sorry Jamie. I guess this place has made me more emotional than I thought it would. My new partner, Jack, is in the back of the bus. I told him to give me a moment alone"

Jamie places a hand on Katrina's arm. It confirms his suspicions. At least some of them anyway.

"You're freezing. I think your partner has definitely given you more than just a moment" Jamie points out kindly "C'mon I'll walk you back over"

Jamie gently guides the EMT over to the ambulance. All the while his suspicion grows. Katrina's clear reluctance to go over to the ambulance, although not yet verbalised, is cause for concern.

The pair arrive at the back of the ambulance. Katrina looks on edge. She certainly doesn't have the demeanour of someone with nothing to hide.

Jamie glances at her "So, where's Jack?"

"Inside, I think" Katrina tells him then makes a move towards the doors.

Jamie watches her cautiously. The EMT opens up the back of the ambulance. Inside, on the floor is an unconscious male EMT.

"Oh my God! Jack!" she exclaims, leaping into the back of the bus.

Blood coats Jack's forehead. Katrina kneels down beside her partner and feels for a pulse. She breathes a sigh of relief. It seems rather genuine.

"He's okay. He's alive" she confirms, turning to Jamie, her face drops "Jamie look out!"

Jamie turns just in time to see a dark figure lunge at him. Both are knocked to the floor. The pair wrestle for control. Jamie takes a punch. Another soon follows. The experienced cop manages to fight off his attacker. All he needs is one hand free. Jamie reaches for his off duty weapon.

Bang!

The figure stumbles back. It gives Jamie time to climb up the ambulance steps. A burst bottom lip and a bruising cheekbone as souvenirs from his altercation with the mysterious attacker. As Jamie recovers from the shock of it all, a second figure emerges.

Bang!

This time it's not Jamie doing the shooting. The sergeant gasps in pain. Severe pain. It spreads like a wildfire from his shoulder.

"Jamie!" Katrina jumps down beside him.

Now they're both out in the open. Quickly, Jamie let's out some more shots. The two figures scatter. Jamie grabs Katrina and takes her around the other side of the ambulance for some cover. The shots start up again. Jamie returns fire. Katrina crouches down beside him.

"What are you doing?!" the EMT questions, upon seeing Jamie pull out his phone.

"Calling for back-up" he informs her then puts the phone to his ear.

/

"It's like I told you before, it's been radio silence from Katrina and Jack since their last call out" Higgins explains, frustrated by these detectives and their many questions.

"Okay, can you tell us where their last call out took them to?" Baez asks, she's been left alone whilst Danny took a call outside.

"No" Higgins sighs upon seeing Baez's raised eyebrow "But I can look it up"

Higgins turns back to his monitors. Baez watches him as he types on a keyboard. The door behind opens. It turns her attention away from the screens. Danny walks into the room and brings a bad vibe with him.

"What's going on? Who was that on the phone just now?" she asks her partner.

Danny sums up his previous conversation for her "It was Eddie. I tried calling Jamie, but he didn't pick up, so I rang Eddie and she told me he'd gone back to where Vinny was shot".

"Bitterman Houses" quickly grabs the concentration of both detectives.

"What did you just say?" Danny questions, forehead scrunching up with panic.

"Katrina and Jack's last call out was to the Bitterman Houses" Higgins restates, registering, but not understanding why his answer warrants the anxious look they're giving him.

Danny runs out of the room. Baez not far behind him. The EMT boss is left in a state of confusion.

/

"Oh God, I can't believe this is happening!" Katrina shrieks in a panic.

"Keep it together for me Katrina" Jamie tells her, using his body to shield her from the bullets pounding into the ambulance from the other side.

The sergeant fears what will happen when these two shooters realise, they can't shoot them from this angle and opt for a much better one. It's dark. They're out in the open. Jamie has already taken a hit to the shoulder. Things could turn even more deadly than they already are in no time at all.

"This is all because Wayne said he wanted out!" the terrified EMT confesses out loud.

"Those two shooting at us now. You and Wayne were the ones helping them bait and rob all of those buses, weren't you?" Jamie guesses, stealing a quick glance at Katrina.

She nods with a sigh "It was easy money. These two guys approached us in a bar one night. They convinced us to help them out, but then that EMT got killed and Wayne decided he wanted out. I tried to warn him. There's no way these guys would just let him walk away from this, but he wouldn't listen"

"So they lured you here and killed him" Jamie adds, fitting the last of the pieces together in his mind "I guess they figured you were a liability too"

Katrina flicks her fear filled eyes at the cop "Are we going to make it out of this, Jamie?"

Jamie hesitates in his response. The shooting seems to have stopped. It either means they've run off or they've found a better position. For both of their sakes, Jamie hopes they've taken the first option.

The wail of sirens is the first good sign of the night. The second is the seemingly heavenly blue flashing lights. Well, they look heavenly to Jamie right now. The cavalry has arrived!

Jamie continues to scan the area. Not even the sign of help arriving is going to distract him. The blue lights of a squad car lights up the scene. There! A figure in the darkness! The outline of a gun!

Bang!

Katrina screams and throws herself to the ground. The sirens blare in her ears. Tires screech to a halt. She looks up to see a man she recognises writhing on the ground in agony. Beside her, Jamie keeps his gun trained on the man.

"You okay?" the sergeant asks her breathlessly.

"Yeah, thanks to you" she replies, breathing out a sigh of relief.

/

"Jamie!" Danny calls out as he pushes his way through the crowd "Jamie!"

Cops look to the detective as he frantically pushes his way through. Eyes not revealing much.

"Jamie" Danny breathes a huge sigh of relief.

Perched on the steps of the ambulance is his kid brother. An EMT tends to his shoulder. There's blood coating the gloves the EMT wears. The sight knocks Danny sick. There's blood coming out of his baby brother. Jamie isn't supposed to bleed. The younger Reagan is supposed to be bullet proof.

"Hey Danny" his brother greets with a tired voice.

Danny cups Jamie's face with his hand "You okay, kid?"

"Yeah, I'm good Danny" Jamie replies, staring up at his brother so he can see the sincerity in his eyes.

Danny stares down at his brother. It amazes him how resilient Jamie can be. The older Reagan wraps his arm around his younger brother. Mindful of his injury of course. It's a rare embrace for both, but a much needed one. Jamie, feeling the effects of exhaustion, relishes the moment of brotherly affection and rests his head into his brother. Danny lifts his free hand up and cards his fingers through Jamie's hair.

"Thank God" Danny whispers, loud enough for his baby brother to hear.

/

The Reagans gather, as they do every Sunday, for family dinner after church. By now, all the Reagans have heard about Jamie's brush with death. Many visited him during his brief stay in the hospital. Still, there's a thin air of mystery surrounding what transpired. All are keen to know Jamie's side of things. Only Eddie knows the truth so far.

"Damn it" Jamie mutters under his breath.

The quiet curse draws the attention of his wife. She smiles fondly. A hint of amusement there too.

"Here, let me help" she says as she takes his knife and fork from him.

"They've done this on purpose" Jamie sighs as he allows Eddie to cut up his steak for him "They just happen to buy steak, something that's hard enough to cut through as it is, knowing I've only got the use of one arm"

"You alright there Jamie?" Danny queries with an amused smile.

Jamie stares his big brother out. Clearly one of them is enjoying all of this.

"Just fine Danny" Jamie answers then takes his cutlery back from his wife.

"You looked like you were having a bit of trouble with your steak there" the eldest of Frank's children adds with a smirk.

Jamie gives him an unimpressed look. Others around the table snigger.

"You bought steak on purpose, didn't you?" the younger Reagan brother theorises.

Danny snorts "What? No. Why would I do that?"

"I don't know" Jamie shrugs "Maybe you're upset I solved your case for you"

"Woah, hey, you did not solve my case, alright?" Danny points his fork towards his injured brother.

"Well you sure as hell didn't solve it" Jamie retorts with a smug smile "Who was it again Katrina confessed to?"

Danny gives his brother a very tongue in cheek look "It was my case little brother"

"Exactly and I solved it for you" his kid brother tries to hold back his laughter.

"You were in the right place at the right time. That's all" Danny points out, taking another bite of his dinner.

"I doubt that" Erin chimes in "He got shot for being in that place at that time"

The family glance at one another. It's quite a morbid point the lawyer of the family has made. They can laugh and tease all they want, but Jamie could have died there.

"Third time lucky" Jamie adds jokingly.

This lightens the mood considerably. Three times Jamie has been shot at in the Bitterman Houses and three times he's come out alive. It's at the very least, three things the Reagans should be grateful for.


End file.
